How do you know whether your team is “Thriving”?
This is an important factor when staying ahead of the curve. So, in this blog, Astrid Davies explores ways to check whether your team is “thriving” in this new normal, and why it is so important that you do.
Let’s start by defining “Thriving”. Here is one definition:
“To grow vigorously; flourish.
To be successful or make steady progress; prosper”
(thefreedictionary.com)
If you apply this to your team, you are wanting them to develop, improve, be successful for themselves as well as your organisation, and be happy while they are doing all this.
What are your check-marks, for you to gauge whether your team is thriving? Do you have any? Maybe they smile when you speak with them? Perhaps they are continually doing work to a high standard? You may be offering them lots of Continuous Professional Development opportunities that they would be mad to turn down.
If you were offered these check marks by a supplier about something you are buying from them, would you settle for these criteria? Or would you drill down into the quality, frequency and reasoning of the checks? That way, you could really understand how, what and why your supplier is measuring at all. That’s running a tight ship, isn’t it?
You may want to stop and think about that. You could actually be taking a deal more care about a supplier and the widgets you buy from them, than your own team. When you look at it like that, it’s not a great place to be as an employer, is it?
And if you have spotted that difference in attitude, you can bet your team has too.
So, what can you do to prevent this happening?
One thing you can do is check in with your people. Ask them how they are doing and give them enough time and full attention to allow them to answer and know that you were listening. Remember their important dates (birthdays, anniversary of joining the organisation, Christmas, Eid, Passover … whatever would work for them). Know if they have a new grandchild, or someone’s getting married, and definitely if they have lost someone close (that will have happened to so many during the pandemic).
Another top tip is to act on pet peeves, that you can collect when you are checking in with your team. Is there something small and irritating that, if you could make sure there was more or less of it, would make people’s lives much better? What’s stopping you wanting to make your team’s lives better? You can be seen to be responsive AND tackle some hurdles to improved productivity into the bargain.
Keeping the lines of communication open, clear and honest is so important to effective leadership. It is also crucial to helping your organisation bounce back better after the pandemic. This is so important, because it is the best way to keep everyone on-message, engaged in the organisation’s future. Further doing the right things at the right time, to get you all to where you need to be.
Listening to your team is brilliant. That does need your team to know how to answer your questions, and for you to know the right questions to ask. How would you assess your team’s readiness to change? How about their personal skills and strengths to deliver the bounce-back levels of change you will need? It is certain you will have an idea … but without checking in on that idea, it is probably just informed guesswork. Just like prioritising widgets over people, that may not be your best leadership plan for a thriving team and organisation.
There is an easier way to check whether your team is thriving …
Profiling tools are a cost-effective and high-value way to know much more about your team. Profiles can also help your team to know much more about themselves. You could use it for yourself too, so you know your strengths and how your team complement them and maybe even fill in some gaps.
There are many profiling tools out there, but not that many which focus exclusively on people’s strengths. Add to that the fact that you want to check people’s individual strengths in the context of introducing and driving positive change in your organisation, and there is only one. The Change Maker Profile, powered by The GC Index.
The Change Maker Profile offers your team the chance to answer a simple online questionnaire. That then gives them – and you – a detailed personal profile of their strengths in change. There are five groupings of strengths.
Implementers get on with doing the do and are crucial to the “execution” that your organisation will need to thrive going forward.
Strategists are best at planning for the implementation of the bigger picture, so they are great for making your future plans come together successfully.
Polishers are the detail people on your team, checking the quality and spotting the potential risks in your bounce-back plans.
Game Changers will bring you ideas, constantly innovating and exploring new solutions to old problems – a vital skillset as your organisation progresses successfully into the next normal.
Playmakers are the ones who bring teams together, spotting skills in others and generally joining up the dots.
Just imagine how fantastic it would be, to know your team this well AND to give them a shared language for successful change. You will be able to combine their skills to achieve all manner of positive outcomes.
To find out more, and book a complimentary strategy chat with a Change Maker, who can tell you more about the Profile and how our clients have found it so valuable, please click the link to get in touch with us. You – and your team – will be so glad you did.
Here is the link to contact Astrid.
